The NRA posted this on its Facebook page last week, and shared the image on Twitter. / NRA

by John Bacon, USA TODAY

by John Bacon, USA TODAY

The National Rifle Association took down its Facebook page the day of the bloody shooting spree at Sandy Hook Elementary School -- one day after the NRA promoted a milestone of 1.7 million "likes."

The NRA's last Twitter update about "10 Days of NRA Giveaways" was posted Friday morning. The first 911 calls went out from Connecticut school at around 9:30 a.m. Friday.

The NRA did not immediately respond to a call for comment.

The 4.3 million-member NRA's strong pro-gun position has been under siege since the shootings that left 28 people dead, including 20 children and the shooter, Adam Lanza.

Nancy Lanza, 54, was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds at her home. Adam Lanza, 20, fatally shot himself at the elementary school with a handgun.

Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance said Lanza was armed with an assault rifle and two semiautomatic pistols, which were registered to and legally owned by his mother.

Removing a Facebook page is an unusual step for an organization, though the NRA can bring the page back within 30 days without losing any data, archived posts or page "likes."

Josh Constine, a writer for Techcrunch, theorizes that the NRA took down its Facebook page because "pro- and anti-gun citizens likely would have gone to war on its wall," adding that "discussions could have taken an ugly turn, with those on either side leaving inappropriate posts and comments."

The NRA also canceled a "Tweet & Greet" with country musician Colt Ford on Twitter Friday afternoon but didn't explain why, the New York Daily News reports.

In July, an NRA Twitter account tweeted, "Good morning, shooters. Weekend plans? Happy Friday!" after the movie theater shooting spree in Aurora, Colo., that left 12 people dead and dozens wounded. The NRA said the tweeter had not heard about the shooting.